Electronic systems and circuits are often utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as computers, video equipment, and communication systems facilitate increased productivity and cost reduction in analyzing and communicating information in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Frequently, these activities involve storage of vast amounts of important and confidential information and significant resources are expended storing and processing the information. Traditional attempts at protecting the information and computer virus detection can be slow to detect and react to new threats, allowing viruses to adversely impact information and systems during the delayed reaction.
Computer viruses are one of the most prolific and disastrous threats to computer system and information integrity. Conventional approaches can involve potentially significant delays corresponding to relatively long reaction periods associated with developing and disseminating detection information. For example, most traditional approaches wait until a new virus has infected machines, problems are actually noticed and identification information is developed. Unfortunately, the systems and information are usually vulnerable to possible virus infection and malicious attack during this time. Traditional approaches usually include signature data sets and malicious behavior data sets that are developed in centralized facilities and then constantly updated and maintained in the end point systems in an attempt to keep up with new infection or virus threats. When there is a new virus, traditional anti-virus approaches are not typically aware of the potential danger until they get a sample of it, develop a signature for detecting it and update the user's machines with the signatures for detecting the virus. By the time all this occurs, the virus typically could have wreaked havoc. In addition, traditional attempts can also often involve considerable utilization or “consumption” of system and network resources to communicate the signature data sets and behavior data sets.